Senior Legal Counsel(A110225)

PayerMax; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

PayerMax seeks a seasoned legal lead to oversee the UAE entity and regional payments activities. You will manage the contract framework, guide cross-functional teams, and optimize legal risk across the payments lifecycle.

You will draft and negotiate core agreements with card schemes, acquiring banks, and large merchants, while ensuring regulatory alignment and governance. Fluent English and senior-level negotiation skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate law degree (LLB or equivalent) from a recognized institution.
• 10+ years of relevant legal experience in payments/fintech or licensed financial institutions, or law firms serving these industries.
• Familiarity with payments industry commercial logic and UAE financial-legal environment.
• Strong contract negotiation and drafting skills.
• English as working language for negotiation and drafting.
• Independent, commercially astute and culturally adept.

Responsibilities

• Act as central legal point of contact for the UAE payment business and lead UAE market's legal matters.
• Provide end-to-end legal support across card scheme onboarding, acquiring and merchant expansion.
• Review and negotiate onboarding, settlement and member/service-provider agreements with Mastercard, Visa, Amex and local schemes.
• Draft and maintain the Standard Merchant Agreement template; support bespoke negotiations with large merchants.
• Review banking service agreements; negotiate account and settlement agreements with local banks.
• Draft intra-group and related-party agreements; ensure regulatory and risk controls are in place.
• Handle corporate governance, shareholder/board resolutions and general commercial contracts.
• Provide contract review and risk flags to business, finance and operations; improve templates/workflows.
• Support Compliance with regulatory rules (CBUAE, AML/sanctions, PCI DSS) without filings.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Drafting contracts

Legal risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory interpretation

English communication

Education

LLB or equivalent

Job description

As the legal lead for PayerMax's payment business in the UAE, you will oversee legal matters for the UAE entity and the wider region, engage deeply across the full payments lifecycle, build and manage the contract framework, control legal risk, and partner with Compliance, Business and other teams to support the company's licensed operations and commercial expansion in the UAE market.

• Strategic Enablement & Risk Control：Act as the central legal point of contact for the UAE payment business; take a leading role in the UAE market's legal matters, translate complex legal requirements into actionable business rules, and safeguard the smooth advancement of the company's payment business.
• Payments Lifecycle Legal Support：Cover every stage across card scheme onboarding, acquiring and merchant expansion; collaborate with Business, Finance, Tax, Product, Risk, Operations and other teams to provide end-to-end legal support.
• Building & Managing the Contract Framework：Card schemes & payment networks: Review and negotiate onboarding, settlement and member/service-provider agreements with Mastercard, Visa, American Express and the local card scheme Jaywan/UAESWITCH.
• Acquiring & merchant agreements: Review cooperation agreements with acquiring banks/service providers; draft and maintain the Standard Merchant Agreement template, and support bespoke negotiation and onboarding of large merchants.
• Banking relationships: Handle the review and negotiation of account, settlement and related service agreements with local partner banks.
• Intra-group arrangements: Draft and negotiate the UAE entity's and intra-group service/related-party agreements (Compliance confirms regulatory requirements; Legal owns drafting and risk).
• Corporate & commercial matters: Handle the UAE entity's corporate governance, shareholder/board resolutions and other general commercial contracts.
• Compliance partnership: Provide legal interpretation and documentation support to Compliance and business teams on regulatory rules (CBUAE retail payment services, card scheme rules, AML/sanctions, PCI DSS, etc.), without owning regulatory filings or licensing.
• Day-to-Day Support：Provide contract review, legal advice and risk flags to the Business, Finance, Operations and Expansion teams, and build and continuously improve contract templates and legal workflows.
• Education: An undergraduate university degree in law (LLB or equivalent) from a recognized and accredited educational institution.
• Ten or more years of relevant legal experience, a substantial part of it in payments/fintech/licensed financial institutions, or at law firms serving these industries.
• Familiarity with the commercial and legal logic of the payments industry (card schemes, acquiring, banking); understanding of the UAE financial-legal environment to enable effective collaboration with Compliance.
• Strong commercial contract negotiation and drafting skills.
• English as a working language (written and in negotiation).
• Independent, commercially astute, and effective across cultures, with the ability to balance business needs against legal risk.